Special spline for screen cloth



April 4, 1961 R. M. WINNAN SPECIAL SPLINE FOR SCREEN CLOTH Filed Feb. 4, 1955 1N VENTOR United States Patent 2,978,022 SPECIAL SPLlNE FOR SCREEN CLOTH Russell M. Winnan, Miami, Fla., assignor to American Screen Products Company, Miami, Fla., a corporation of Florida Filed Feb. 4, 195's, Ser. No. 486,083 1 Claim. or. 160-394) The present invention relates to an article of manufacture, namely a novel splinefor securing screen cloth and the like in the spline channel of a frame and also to a novel. combination with an aluminum box frame formed with 'spline cooperating locking elements;

' The principal" object of this invention is to provide a novel spline formed of yieldably resilient material adapted to be pressed manually into a shade cloth or screen cloth frame spline channel, to thereby snap lock and hold the cloth in place without tools or fasteners.

A specific object is to provide a novel spline with a continuous side wall and having an elongated yieldably resilient cloth engaging leg at substantially right angles to the side wall adapted to co-act with an angular free locking edge, extending along the length of a second relatively shorter leg of the spline, said edge being vertically spaced therefrom, whereby said cloth engaging leg maintains spring pressure on said locking edge when it is snapped under a rolled over edge within the spline channel of a frame.

Still a further specific object is to provide a novel spline formed of yieldably resilient material into an elongated body with one continuous wall and a pair of leg sections, one of said sections clamping and covering the distorted edges of a screen or shade cloth in a frame with a spline channel having a rolled cooperating locking edge extending downward into the channel adjacent a wall of the channeland the other of said leg sections having a locking edge in locking abutment with said rolled locking edge in the channel of the frame.

Still a further object is to provide a metal spline for aluminum screen frames adapted to be rolled into form from a strip of sheet metal into a single continuous body to be sold as an article of manufacture.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of features hereinafter described and particularly defined in the appended claim.

In the drawing like parts throughout the views are given like numerals and are thus identified in the following detailed description.

Fig. l is a front elevation view ofa screen frame with a screen or shade cloth filler secured to the frame under splines press fitted into the spline channel of the frame.

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross section view with the present invention novel spline pulled apart from within the spline channel of the frame together with a section of shade cloth under the spring leg or bezel portion of the spline.

Fig. 3 is a cross section view taken on the section line 3-3 of Fig. 1 with the screen shade cloth in clamped position under the spline leg or bezel and the locking edge of the other spline leg engaged under the rolled over flat edge of the frame.

Fig. 4 is an end perspective view of the frame and spline before their interlocking press fit engagement together.

7 2 Referring in detail to the assembled view in Fig. l ofxthe complete screen, there is disclosed a frame 9 formed of aluminum box frame sections with mitered end joints 10 and a rectangular filler of screen or shade cloth 11 with the four edges thereof clamped under adjacent splines 12, which are each press fitted into a respective spline groove or channel 23, in each section of the frame, see Figs. 2 and 3.

The spline construction The splines 12 each have their respective ends 14 mitered so as to neatly fit together "in a manner similar to the screen frame sections 9. Each spline comprises an elongated body formed from a strip of material such as sheet metal. The body consists of a continuous wall 15 and a pair of spaced apart legs 16 and 17 extending at substantially right angles from the respective bottom and top longitudinal edges of the wall. The first or top leg 16 of the spline 12 is relatively wider than the second or bottom leg 17. These legs are yieldably resilient, and leg 16 serves as a bezel or screen edge concealing strip and it is formed with a downwardly angled portion 18 along its free edge.

The second or narrower bottom spline leg 17 along its free end is angled upwardly toward the leg 16 to provide an elongated tongue 19. The tongue 19 is formed With a straight flat locking edge 20, see Figs. 2 and 4. This straight fiat locking edge 20 is proportioned shaped and positioned, so as to coact with a similar straight flat edge or shoulder 21 formed in the spline groove of each of the screen frame sections 9.

The screen frame construction The screen frames 9 are formed of single sheet metal stock and rolled to form a box-like body 22 with a spline groove or channel 23 having a bottom wall 24 and spaced apart side walls 25 and 26 formed as a continuous part of the body. The wall 26 is a two-ply wall with a portion of the free end of the outer ply rolled over the free edge of the inner ply so that the straight ,flat edge 21 of the outer ply folds downward against the interior face of the inner ply of wall 26. This straight flat edge or shoulder 21 forms together with the straight flat edge 20 of the spline leg tongue 19 a locking point for the spline 12 when it is force pressed into the spline channel 23, to secure the screen or shade cloth 11 to the frame 9.

Operation Installation is very simple. For example, with reference first to Fig. 2, a spline 12 is shown about to be press fitted into the spline channel 23 in a frame section 9. A filler of screen or shade cloth 11 has its respective peripheral edge face positioned between the top yieldably resilient leg 16 and the top rolled edge of the spline channel wall 26. Now as the bottom leg 17 enters the spline channel 23, the wall 15 of the spline and wall 25 of the channel frictionally engage and the tongue 19 with its straight flat edge 20 tend to flex upward because of the rolled over thickness of wall 26. As the spline is forced downwardly the flat edge 26 snaps under the flat edge or shoulder 21 and spline bottom 17 contacts the frame channel bottom 24. With this resulting action, the edges 20 and 21 become the locking point that is, 36 inches or over, are to be spline attached in the frame sections, it is practical to notch out spaced ears 27 and 28 on the spline channel side of the opposite peripheral face edges of the screen or shade cloth. These ears are bent over and extend downward into the spline channel, to thereby facilitate centering and positioning the screen or shade cloth for subsequent spline securement thereof, see Figs. 2 and 3.

While the present invention is illustrated and described in detail for only one preferred embodiment, it is to be expressly understood that many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, as defined in the following claim.

I claim:

A yieldable screen margin engageable spline for cooperation with a screen frame having a channel therein defined by inner and outer walls and a bottom wall and wherein said inner wall is provided with a rounded screen engageable edge and a shoulder disposed within the channel and facing the bottom Wall thereof; said spline comprising a wall and a pair of substantially parallel legs projecting from opposite edges of the wall substantially normal thereto, one of said legs including a marginal tongue disposed in acute angular relation to said spline wall and having a locking edge, the other leg being substantially longer than the first leg and having a marginal portion inclined inwardly relative to the bottom wall of the channel, whereby upon forcing said spline into said channel against an edge portion of a screen the said spline wall frictionally engages the outer channel wall, said first spline leg is wholly disposed within the channel with the locking edge thereof engaged with said shoulder and said second leg projects over said rounded channel wall edge with the free edge of the inclined marginal portion thereof engaged with the screen inwardly of said inner channel Wall with a resulting bend in the screen marginal portion over said rounded edge with a resulting firm bending of the screen edge portion between the channel inner wall and said second leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,325,500 Fosberg July 27, 1943 2,627,311 Kaufmann Feb. 3, 1953 Lil? it 

